Is the era of free news over?

One safe prediction where the internet is concerned is that most predictions will turn out wrong. If some of the headier late 20th-century forecasts had proved correct, we would already be living in a world without books, offices, coins and banknotes, ­newspapers ...

But the analogue world has proved surprisingly resilient. One offline idea in particular is making something of a comeback – things that cost money to produce shouldn't be given away free. At least, that is the view at which Rupert Murdoch has arrived after a long journey of digital discovery that saw him invest heavily, and not very profitably, online.

The free access model, the media magnate said last week, was "malfunctioning".

Well he would, wouldn't he?

The fact is that millions of internet users are in the habit of getting something for ­nothing and sharing it around. It is a very sociable affair, but not economically sustainable for the music, film, TV and newspaper industries. Too bad, say the web libertarians. Find another business model.

That, clearly, is what Mr Murdoch intends to do. "The current days of the internet will soon be over," he said. So nothing will stay the same. That is probably the only other prediction it is safe to make about the internet.